Projection room wall



N0V- 6, 1951 R. H. MCCULLOUGH 2,573,858

PROJECTION ROOM WALL.

Filed Sept. 16, 1946 J4 il L W i i,

Jn/verdon jiu/2% ffm caw' ww Patented Nov. 6, 195.1

PROJECTION ROOM WALL Russell Henry McCullough, Los Angeles, Calif.,

assignor to Fox West Coast Theatres Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Dela- Application September 16, 1946, Serial No. 697,321

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to the construction of projection room walls in motion picture threatres and in particular to a construction whereby the electrical Wiring is installed in a new and improved manner.

In the manufacture of prefabricated motion picture threatres, it is desirable that the projection room be constructed with a minimum number of parts which may be assembled in the minimum amount of time and with the least effort. it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved prefabricated projecting room wall structure for achieving the aforesaid desideratum.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved projection room wall with windows and electrical raceways therein characterized by the simple and easy manner in which sections of such wall may be assembled to provide such electrical raceways.

Another specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved projection room wall section of unitary structure which may be prefabricated at the factory or shop and then transported to the place or" assembly where it may be assembled in a short time by relatively inexperienced workmen.

Yet, another specific object of the present invention is to provide a unitary panel containing wiring located at advantageous and strategic positions for the operation of all of the electrical apparatus in motion picture projection rooms.

Still another specific object of the present invention is to make the aforesaid electrical panel of such prefabricated structure that it may be easily installed adjacent appropriate windows or ports in the projection room of a threatre.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claim. This invention itself, both as to its organization and Inanner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a projection room structure incorporating the present invention taken substantially on the line I-I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a view in elevation oi a projection room wall incorporating the present invention taken substantially in the direction 2-2 indicated in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation of one of the control units mounted on the Wall in Figure 2.

Figures 4 and 5 are sectional. views taken respectively on lines 4--4 of Figure 2.

The projection room indicated by the reference numeral It) in Figure l forms part of a prefabricated motion picture threatre, the Walls of which are of prefabricated gypsum panels. Such gypsum panels are fastened to form the side walls Il, I2 and front -wall I3 of the projection room I. The iront wall I3 has a plurality ofv conventional openings therethrough. These openings are: a pair of spaced projection ports I5, I6 of relatively low elevation, three spaced observation ports or windows I'i, ilA and IS of relatively high elevation and a pair of enlarged spaced openings IS, 23 for projection therethrough of light beams from spot lights.

The electrical wiring for the control and operation of the various devices incident to the operation in a motion picture projection room, is mounted in and carried on electrical raceways 25, 26 and 21 which are integrally formed in a metal panel member 23.

The metal panel member 2t rests on the floor 29 of the projection room in close abutment with the front wall i3 and may be maintained in that position by suitable fastening means such as screws or bolts (not shown). The panel 28 has three spaced upwardly extending portionsv3ll, 3I and 32, in each of which there is a control panel identical to the control panel 33 shown in detail in Figure 3.

The panel portions 36, 3l and 32 are positioned against the wall I3 immediately under the spaced observation ports Il, I'IA and I8, respectively, so that a person looking through any one of the observation ports I'I, IlA and I3, is in an advantageous and strategic position for operating the various control toggle switches 34 on panels 33 and also for observing indications produced by indicating bulbs 35 on panel 33. Each control panel 33 carries indicia means 3E for each one of the switches 34 and indicating lamps 35 to thereby explain the function of the corresponding switches 34 or indicating lamp 35.

The electrical raceways 25, 26, 2l formed either integrally with the front metal plate 40 or by plates fastened thereto to form electrical raceways of hollow parallelepiped which extend parallel to the wall I3 and immediately adjacent thereto. The electrical raceway 25 is in communication with each one of the upwardly extending panel portions 30, 3l and 32 in each of which extends the Wiring from the electrical switch 34 and indicating lamps 35 as shown in Figure 5. This electrical raceway 25 carries all amasss of the control wires whether the control be either of a direct current type or of the alternating current type while the electrical raceways 26 and 27 carry respectively, the wires conveying audio frequency currents from the sound motion picture projector and direct current potentials for feeding the direct current arc lamp in the sound projector.

Audio frequency currents from the sound motion picture projector are transferred to electrical wires in the electrical raceway 26 through one of a pair of connecting plugs 4l located immediately below and in line with the projecting ports I5 and i6,

A direct current for operating the motion picture projector arc lamp is obtained from one of two plugs 42 located immediately below and in alinement with the projection ports l5, I6.

Also, control voltages may be applied to or obtained from electrical wires in the raceway 25 through one of a series of three plugs 43 located immediately below and in alinement with the projection ports l5, i6. The outer metal face 40 of panel 26 is plainer and eiective and provides a wainscoting for wall I3.

The electrical raceways 25, 26 and 21 in the panel 28 are in alinement and in communication with corresponding electrical raceways in the panel sections 23A and 28B abutting panel section 28 at lines 45 and d6, respectively. In such case, the panel sections 28A and 28B of depth equal to the depth of panel section 28A also rest on the floor 29 and may be fastened by means of screws, bolts or the like to the wall Il, I2 and 3. When the panel section of 28A and 28B are thus positioned, electrical raceway 25A and 25B are each in communication with electrical raceway 25. Electrical raceway 26B is in communication with raceway 2B, and electrical raceways 27A and 27B are in communication with raceway 21.

It is noted that there is a vertical spacing be tween raceway 25 and 26 in Figure 2 which shows a composite wall embodying the present invention. it is contemplated in the actual composite wall to add a raceway intermediate raceways 25 and 26 for conveying the wires associated with television receivers and transmitters.

While the particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it

will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appended l" claim is to cover all such changes and modications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

A projection room wall for use in a motion picture theatre, said wall having a plurality of electrical raceways running therethrough horizontally in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of said wall, said wall being substantially parallelepiped with control elements thereon, said Wall including upwardly extending hollow portions coniining said control elements, at least one of said raceways being in communication with said upwardly extending hollow portions, said raceways being spaced one above the other, the lowermost raceway containing wires arranged to be energized with direct current, the intermediate raceway carrying wires to be energized with currents of audio frequency, and the uppermost raceway carrying electrical wires to be energized with alternating current control voltages arranged for controlling equipment associated with the projection of motion pictures, said wall and its raceways being of metal to thereby electrostatically shield the wires in different raceways, said projection room wall being adapted to be placed parallel with and contiguous to the wail in the projecting room having motion picture projection windows formed in said walls with electrical outlets in the first-mentioned wall adjacent said windows.

RUSSELL HENRY MCCLLOUGH.

REFERENCES CTED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 286,938 Martin Oct. 16, 1883 1,345,503 Newton July 6, 1920 1,972,794 Reese Sept. 4, 1934 2,140,376 Anderson Dec. 13, 1938 2,323,252 ySparks June 29, 1943 2,363,327 Hodgkins Nov. 21, 1944 

